It probably wasn’t how Oregon Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman envisioned his 700th career win, but he’ll take it.
In a near-empty Pauley Pavilion, Oregon upset No. 3 UCLA 84-81 in overtime. The win was also his 290th victory as the Duck head coach in a career that began in 1989 at Marshall.
Beyond the milestone win for Altman, it was a much-needed victory for the Ducks, who have struggled early in the season. But they have finally put everything together and are the team everyone thought it would be when the year begin.
At 10-6 and 3-2 in conference, Oregon has that signature win that will make the NCAA tournament committee sit up and take notice. Fans or no fans, winning at Pauley against the No. 3 Bruins is no joke.
Jacob Young scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime and Will Richardson made several plays down the stretch to seal the deal. But it was the Ducks’ defense, an Altman staple, that was the difference as they denied the Bruins a good look at the buzzer to possibly force a second overtime period.
Now the Ducks will try to make it a road sweep as they will go for a second straight upset in Los Angeles. Oregon faces No. 5 USC Saturday for a scheduled 8 p.m. tip on Fox Sports 1.
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